Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

Inaugural Gilbert Fine Art & Wine Festival is Dec. 1, 2 & 3

Tucson scratchboard artist Paul Hopman is the event’s featured artist 

An art form as old as the Hohokam people who used to call the Valley home will be on display in the East Valley during Thunderbird Artists’ inaugural Gilbert Fine Art & Wine Festival taking place Fri., Sat., and Sun., Dec. 1, 2 and 3. Paul Hopman and his scratchboard artwork, which is similar in technique to the petroglyphs created by the Valley’s prehistoric residents, will be highlighted as the festival’s featured artist. 

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gilbert Civic Center, located at 90 E. Civic Center Drive, just south of Warner Road on Gilbert Drive, in Gilbert. More than 100 juried artists will exhibit and sell original pieces of art, including paintings in all mediums, batiks, copper, glass, clay, stone, metal and wood sculptures, unique jewelry, photography and more.

Denise Colter, vice president of Thunderbird Artists, said the decision to add Gilbert to its list of venues was an easy one.

“Thunderbird Artists is in its 36th season of producing sophisticated, award-winning, world-class fine art and wine festivals throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. Gilbert is one of the East Valley’s fast-growing communities, and we think our event will be a great fit for residents seeking original fine art. In addition to our December show, we’ll also host a fine art and wine festival at the same venue in February,” she said.

Featured Artist Paul Hopman

While some people have never heard of scratchboard before, Hopman enthusiastically describes it as the oldest art form in the world. He begins with a fresh surface, which consists of a piece of Masonite topped with white clay and a thin layer of black ink. Hopman describes the surface as, “similar to an Oreo cookie.”

The Tucson resident uses a series of needles to create scratches that remove the ink and create a divot in the clay underneath. He then goes back and adds color to the grooves, which could be from pastel chalk, ink or even magic markers.

“Prehistoric people used to scratch away the surface of a cave wall or rock with another rock,” said Hopman. “Then they would backfill with minerals and natural substances to add color. My technique is the same, only with slightly different materials.”

Hopman, who is one of fewer than 200 registered scratchboard artists in the world, provides demonstrations at his booth during art shows to help people better understand how he creates his art.

He has been working on a series of large, iconic animals, including bison, moose and wild mustangs. The scratchboard technique is especially adept at recreating individual strands of hair, bringing his wildlife images to life. Each lifelike piece takes up to 100 hours to create.

Hopman was a printer by trade for 40 years. He did scratchboard on the side, and continued to create beautiful gifts for close friends and relatives. For the past nine years, he has devoted his time exclusively to creating and selling his beautiful scratchboard pieces.

In his spare time, Hopman volunteers his time teaching the scratchboard technique to elementary school students. He partners with Friends of Western Art to secure the funding and supplies necessary to teach Tucson-area elementary students.

Wine Tastings

The festival also combines fine art with an extensive collection of domestic and imported wines for tasting. For $10, patrons will receive an engraved souvenir wine glass with six tasting tickets, allowing them to walk through the Gilbert show sipping samples, enjoying superb art and listening to live musical entertainment. Additional tasting tickets may be purchased for $1.

Admission to the Gilbert Fine Art & Wine Festival is $3 for adults, and free for children 17 years or younger. Parking is free all weekend. For more information, call (480) 837-5637 or visit www.ThunderbirdArtists.com.